50 Greatest Things About Geek Lifestyle/2

11 Hardy Hardbacks

When vinyl became CDs and then music became a digital file, everybody said records were dead. Not so. Instead they became a cult item that then turned mainstream. And the same thing is, arguably, happening to books right now, with sales of e-readers falling and consumers preferring a physical object. Damn right, too: books are cool. JN

12 Game Plan

In the mid-to-late noughties, gaming was becoming stale and by-the-numbers. An indie games revolution, which has seen titles released to a mass audience through digital platforms, has led to a renaissance in clever content, creating a games industry that once again dares to be different. How else would we ever have got to play Goat Simulator? BM

13 TV’s New Golden Era

There’s Netflix, Amazon Instant, Hulu, Crunchyroll, FUNimation… the way TV is both made and watched is changing massively. Not only are these services often more willing to take a chance on unusual subjects than mainstream networks, they also release them in one go so we can binge watch. Yum. JN

14 Nerd Not Herd

Geeks revel in their curiosity and their ability to look beyond the norm. They know the value of being able to investigate new ideas, which is easier than ever these days thanks to the internet, or as it’s cleverly (and accurately) been described: “curiosity’s playground.” OW

15 Secret Cinema

Immersive experiences are all the rage these days and in this field there’s one leader: Secret Cinema. You don’t pay four times the price of a regular cinema ticket just to see a film; you’re investing in an experience that’s part cosplay, part theatre, part movie and entirely awesome. It’s one of those things you’ll still be telling people about years later, and that’s the best recommendation we can give. MC

17 Reality Gets Virtual

After years of promise but plenty of false starts, VR is finally here! We highlighted the technology back in MyM Issue 46, as every major player prepared to announce their launches, and the technology is finally in people’s homes. Having fought zombies in the desert using HTC’s Vive to run Arizona Sunshine, we can’t wait for this to be something everybody has access to. AC

18 Board Gaming Is Back

Forget only playing Cluedo, Monopoly and Yahtzee on rainy UK days, board games are back with a vengeance and their variety and potential rivals any other form of entertainment. Check out our new Tabletop features next week for more details and head to Strategygamecon.com to buy tickets to MCM Central’s new board game show. MC

19 Friends United

Gone are the days of answering a pen-pal advert at the back of a self-published ’zine to meet a life-long buddy. The world wide web has been bringing geeks together since the early days of X-Files chat rooms, and comic cons have exploded since 100 people met for a day in San Diego in March 1970, shaping firm friendships ever since. JN

20 Clothes Maketh The Geek

The best reaction to there not being any good geek clothing out there? Set up your own brand. That’s what Ashley Eckstein did with Her Universe, and the company that creates outfits allowing fangirls to celebrate Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek and beyond has flourished. And when something as major as a new Star Wars film comes along, everyone gets on the bandwagon. OW